Lock for journal box lids



Au .9,1949. G. F. COUCH I v 2,478,746

LOCK FOR JOURNAL BOX LIDS Filed Feb. 18, 1948 Inventor;

GLENN F. Cave h'is Attorney Patented Aug. 9, 1949 2,47s, z4s LQGKVFIQR JF C uch, Rochester, in; 12- a fs snoritorhe Symi-ngton-Gould oorp pQcorporation of Mary-land A plicationEe 18.,-liigaseiidhmfiigoa 7Claims.7'

This-invention relates to and lock and more particularly to a lockarranged to prevent. an unarranted opening movement of ajournal boxlid;for-railway cars.

j. An gbject ofthe invention is the provision, in a "journaldaoig :lid;of apositive lock forpreventing an unwarrantedopening movement oftheglid about its pivotalconnection to the box to safefi uard theinterior: of-the box against tampering.

Another object-'of"the invention is the provisionfin a journal 'box'lid,of a displace ableelement retained entirely within the confines ofthe1id=-and-; arranged to -lock 'the lid against movement abouta lug of-ajournalbox.

--A= further;-object of'the invention is the pro- -visior1 "ofamember-within a journal box lid arranged to lock the-lid-againstmovement about a 111 of ajournal box andbeing displaceable only "by -theuseof a specially constructed" tool.

-'"The-aboveandnumerous other objects will be- --come apparent from"thesucceeding description --considered-together with the disclosuremade by t-he accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of ajournal -=i boxdid-embodyingthe; present invention with part of the 'structure removed to -moreclearlyillusbrate'the'association of parts. 7

Figure' 'z is-a -sectionalview taken along the lines *2-'-2- of Figure--1, looking in the direction pf thearrows.

- Figure*3; is anenlarged sectional view takenealong the lines *3- -3"of"Figure Z looking in the direction-ofthe'arrows.

fiigure *4 is an enlarged sectional view taken alongthe lines- 4 4f-Figure l, lookingin the direction ofthe arrows.

Referring now in detail to the drawing wherein -=-*'like-reference,characters indicate, like parts, the gr-nun eral I Lisemployed ;todesignate, in a some- -what general manner, a jolirnal box lid exempIaryof'thepresent invention. It isimportant in journal box lid'designthat thfijid'beheld in elose contactwith a journal box, indicateddiagrammatically in-Fig ure2 only of the drawing and designated by thereference character'Z; The,"

slid is movedabout-a hinge lug 3 (also indicated ediagrammaticallyinEigure 2-onlyof the draw- -ing -=and is anchored to the journal boxthrough ea eonventional pin t. The --journal-box lid isheld iiiniclose'd position to exclude dirt -water .or any:

impuritiesffrcm sthe interior of :the journal ibox -:ziaseewells= asprevent; theaescape of ;.the lubricating 111185111312 fromiits.interioxmv sAt periodic intervals tibenomesanecessaryztoSWiIIgZithGIIidQahOIItgthG V. 2 so ithat ,the interior of the journalbox nayj be :Q' iSP I' P !l bricant added and many such reasonsuwellknown and recognized in ,the art.

-'The"j ournal box'lid comprises a ,cove r,- 5 arranged to bear ill fullagainst the journabox ja pu po e a o e e or Me e. 2 "thQCQVt-iloutwardly thereoi is a bridge me her jii firmly secured to the c 'b.-d-..? me ns iAlso positioiied outwardly of, the cover oper is a ho '1,w i h i gi d w fih u p aperture d ears B that; overlie the hinge lug andom o e er i to. ic m hep q t nn stiom between'the lid and journal boxjlower part of thehood is fOrmed with afball or semiw sphericalportiondwhich lies between the bridge -;and 'cover and n 'est s;vvith acorrespondingly :formed part 10 of the bridge and thus aball and lsocket arrangement is provided at the hoodcover junctureto pr esent auniversal joint allowing, within a permissible degree; a remainedjustingmovem nt of-the cover to-insure a full s urface-beari relationshipbetweerithe cover andiournal box.

A-resilint element is-incorporated in the-=lid structure to h'old'thelid-in either open elf-closed -position; Any type of resilient elementinay'be empl oyed and as characteristic of atype which may be employedadvantageously there is 'dis- ---c'losed a spring-Hhaving' a pair-' oftransversely spaced -coils |2 seated seourely-against the hood andjoined-by a central upstanding loop l3 the latter-carrying a roller 14arranged attinies-to bear against a vertically disposed surface S gn'-the =hinge--lug to hold the lid in closed position -or-to bear againsta "horizon-tally disposed surface -16 on the hingelug to hold the lidinopened-posi- 'tion. -Depending frorn each spring coil-i'sadown--WardlyeXte n ding -angularly constructed legfi l -ar ranged 'tohearagainst the cover on each side 0i the balbandIsocketarrangement to urgethe cover bridge, at; all times, against the hood and the cover,whenc10Sed,'-int0 tight engagement with the journal =box; 'Thus thischaracteristic -1id is:arranged to beeflective as a removable componentto seal-anaccess openin'g of-a journal box. v w-In themajoritv-ofjournal boxes-of the type employing: a lid hereinabovedescribed; thereis i contained M001 waste or-an absorbent pad :to Junction as ;a,'holding means or -.carrier iorx the Jubricatingmediummsedtogmaintainrthej ournal slugmndzzpinctoawhatisitermedvantopeniposition-ssmax les q unningodrycandiinossiblysgreatlnrgpet y damage if terminating in derailment of the car. In order tosafeguard against an unwarranted opening of the journal box lidprovision is made to positively lock the lid in its closed position. Asexemplary of such provisions the journal box lid is provided with aninwardly facing elongated recess i8 disposed in alignment with or thevertical limits of the coils [2 of the spring ll. Disposed entirelywithin the confines of the hood against unwarranted outside tampering isa latch-keeper or jamb-keeper l9 formed in part by a crossbar arrangedto be positioned within the hood recess l8 and retained firmly thereinby the coils of the spring H. Disposed, preferably at right angles orperpendicular to the crossbar intermediate its ends, is a pair ofhorizontally spaced, upwardlly and inwardly extending arms 2|. An inneredge of the arms is joined by an angle-shaped stifiening wall 22 havingan upper -vertical leg 23 and a lower horizontal leg 24.

Forming a continuation of the lower horizontal leg is a platform oranchor ledge 25 extending toward the hood but in horizontal spacedrelation to each of the arms.

Interlocked with the keeper I9 is a latch or jamb 26 having horizontallyspaced, vertical side flanges 2'! arranged between and in closeproximity to the keeper arms so as to retain the latch in a positionrelative to the keeper. The upper ends of the side flanges are joined bya head member or jamb block 28 which, in normal position, is disposed intight fitting engagement with the hood and roller. Since, during anopening movement ofthe lid, the roller must pass over theapex 29, theroller therefore must also move in a direction toward the hood and withthe jamb head in operative position as illustrated the lid is positivelylocked against any movement in an open direction.

Now, as previously stated, it becomes, at times,

necessary to open the lid for the purpose of inspection etc. and inorder to open the lid the jamb head must be displaced. Toward theaccomplishment of this function the lower ends of the side flanges arejoined, in a plane below the platform 25 since the flanges pass betweenthe platform and keeper arms, by a shelf or bottom flange 39 whichplaces the platform between the head and bottom flange. Positionedbetween the head and platform is a resilient element characterized by acoil spring 3| which, normally,

maintains the head in elevated position wedged between the roller andhood. The coil spring 3| is encased in a housing formed by the definingside flanges in one direction and the hood and keeper vertical leg inanother or normal direction. The keeper vertical arms are undercut as at32 to accommodate outstanding lips 33 formed on the latch side flangesand thus the expansive movement of the coil spring 3| is restricted inorder to not only efiectively push the keeper head up into lockingposition but also to maintain the latch bottom flange 3i] spaced apredetermined distance below the keeper platform.

The hood at a location below the recess l 8 and the spring coils I2 isformed with an opening or window 34. An unlocking key or tool indicateddiagrammatically in Figure 2 only of the drawing is insertable throughthe hood window and its upper or hook end 35 may be positioned upon thelatch bottom flange to pull the jamb head downwardly away from theroller to negative its locking effect. As the lid is moved from closedto open position and then back to closed position it may be well to keepthe lid in unlocked position and toward this end the key has its lowerextremity formed with a loop 36 the free extremity 31 of which isarranged to underlie the cover bridge.

From the above it will be noted that various changes and alterations maybe made to the structure of the accompanyingdrawing and the hereinabovedescription thereof without departing from the spirit of this inventionor scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1 In a journal box lid of the character having a hood movably mounted ona hinge lug and a spring means reacting between the lug and hood toretain the lid in open or closed position, the combination of, a jambcarried by and within said hood and arranged to be positioned inabutting relation with said spring means and hood for preventing anunwarranted opening of said lid.

2. In a journal box lid of the character having a hood movably mountedon a hinge lug and a spring means reacting between the lug and hood toretain the lid in open or closed position, the combination of, a jambentirely within the confines of said hood, resilient means within saidjamb for urging a part thereof into engagement with and between saidhood and spring means for preventing an unwarranted movement of said lidabout said lug.

3. In a journal box lid of the character having a hood movably mountedon a hinge lug and a spring means reacting between the lug and hood toretain the lid in open or closed position, the combination of, a jambentirely within the confines of said hood having one part thereofcarried by said hood and another part thereof movable relative to saidhood, said relatively movable part being normally positioned in abuttingrelationwith said hood and spring means for preventing an unwarrantedmovement of said lid about said lug.

4. In a journal box lid of the character having a hood movably mountedon a hinge lug and a spring means reacting between the lug and hood toretain the lid in open or closed position, the combination of, a jambentirely within the confines of said hood having one part thereofcarried by said hood and another part thereof movable relative to saidhood, resilient means between said jamb parts, said relatively movablepart being normally positioned in abutting relation with said hood andspring means for preventing an unwarranted movement of said lid aboutsaid lug.

5. In a journal box lid of the character having a hood movably mountedon a hinge lug and a spring means reacting between the lug and hood toretain the lid in open or closed position, the

combination of, a jamb entirely within the confines of said hood havingone part thereof carried by said hood and another part thereof movablerelative to said hood, said relatively movable part being normallypositioned in abutting relation with said hood and spring means for Ypreventing an unwarranted movement of said lid a hood movably mounted ona hinge lug and a spring means reacting between the lug and hood toretain the lid in open or closed position, the

a 5 combination of, a multi-part interlocked jamb entirely within theconfines of said hood, one part of said jamb being retained in positionby said spring means, and another part of said jamb being movablerelative to said hood and first named part, said movable jamb part beingarranged to occupy space between said spring means and hood forpreventing an unwarranted movement of said lid about said lug.

7. In a journal box lid of the character having a hood movably mountedon a hinge lug and a spring means reacting between the lug and hood toretain the lid in open or closed position, the combination of, amulti-part interlocked jamb entirely within the confines of said hood,one part 6 of said jamb being retained in position by said spring means,another part of said jamb being movable relative to said hood and firstnamed part, a coil spring between said jamb parts, said movable jambpart being arranged to occupy space between said spring means and hoodfor preventing an unwarranted movement of said lid about said lug; andan opening in said lid below said jamb for the insertion of a tool fordisplacing said movable part against the action of said coil spring tofacilitate movement of said lid about said lug.

GLENN F. COUCH.

No references cited.

